Community Reaction to the 2012 City Budget
Commitment 2 Community: CPIP Funding Saved in Final Budget Vote
CUPE Ontario: Budget Vote a Victory for the People of Toronto. Fight to Keep Toronto Public Continues
Toronto Arts Council: City Council Fully Restores Arts Grants for 2012!
Toronto Environmental Alliance: Victory for the Environment!
Toronto Works Better Together: 2012 City Budget Round-Up: When is a Cut Not a Cut?
Wellesley Institute: People Care About the Kind of City They Live In
Tallying Services Saved
- Budget Committee takes $2.8 million in service cuts off the table
- Executive Committee saves close to $6 million in services
- TTC reverses $5 million in service reductions on busy peak-time routes (from TTC savings)
- City Council removes almost $19 million in service cuts
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January 17 – Final Budget Vote: Council Takes $19 Million in Service Cuts Off the Table
Posted on 18. Jan, 2012 by Beth.
January 17: It was high drama at the final day of the 2012 City budget process at City Hall. City Council met to review and vote on the 2012 City operating and capital budgets. Although three days were set aside to conclude the budget process, City Council whipped through debate and completed its voting by early evening. In the end, City Council, mostly by narrow margins, voted to safeguard nearly $19 million in City services that had been slated for cuts in the staff-recommended budget, and later endorsed by the Budget and Executive Committees. With one notable exception (a move to defer contracting out of custodial City staff work), every motion to overturn service cuts passed despite opposition by the Mayor and most members of the Executive Committee. As well, the majority of Council elected to use a small portion of the 2011 budget surplus to cover the cost of many of these services, against the wishes of the Mayor.
Councillor Colle led the charge moving a motion to reverse almost $15 million in service cuts to child care, priority centres, ice rinks, pools, community grants, TTC, three homeless shelters, and mechanical leaf collection services. It was a real nail-biter with 23 votes in favour of saving these services and 21 against.
Who voted to save these City services: Councillors Augimeri, Bailao, Carroll, Cho, Colle, Davis, De Baeremaeker, Doucette, Filion, Fletcher, Fragedakis, Layton, Lee, Lindsay Luby, Matlow, McConnell, McMahon, Mihevc, Pasternak, Perks, Perruzza, Vaughan, Wong-Tam
Who voted to cut these City services: Mayor Ford, Councillors Ainslie, Berardinetti, Crawford, Crisanti, Del Grande, Di Giorgio, Ford, Grimes, Holyday, Kelly, Mammoliti, Milczyn, Minnan-Wong, Nunziata, Palacio, Parker, Robinson, Shiner, Stintz, Thompson
Councillor Moeser was unwell and could not attend the meeting.
Some additional motions passed to reverse proposed service cuts to public libraries, the Toronto Environmental Office, the Immigrant Women’s Health Centre, and the Live Green Toronto Community Animators’ program.
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January 10 – Sign Petition to Save Community Services, Executive Committee Takes $6 Million in Cuts Off the Table, Just Under $80 Million in Cuts Remain
Posted on 12. Jan, 2012 by Beth.
Sign Petition to Save Community Services
After public calls in support of the arts, the Executive Committee took $1.9 million in cuts to community grants for arts programs off the table, along with a handful of cuts outlined below. However cuts to community grants for community services remain. Please read the Commitment 2 Community message below and take one moment right now to sign the petition to safeguard community services delivered through the CPIP community grants program!
A message from Commitment 2 Community:
Please take action on the 2012 City Budget now -visit http://togethertoronto.ca/campaigns/community-services to sign a petition urging your city councillor not to cut funding to the Community Partnership and Investment Program (CPIP). Signing this petition is quick, easy and effective. Your message will go to directly to your city councillor and you can customize it with your own comments or concerns. After you have signed, be sure to share the link widely over email, blogs, Facebook or Twitter.
Take action now because a 9.8% cut to CPIP is still being considered and in just over a week, City Council’s decisions about the budget will be final. All 44 city councillors and the mayor will vote on the 2012 budget from January 17-19th.
Take action now because CPIP builds healthy, safe and vibrant neighbourhoods across Toronto. It supports programs for women, children, youth, seniors, immigrants and residents of the city who are homeless, low income, racialized, LGBTQ, disabled and/or live with chronic illness. Learn more about what’s at stake with a cut to CPIP here, and read United Way Toronto‘s recent letter to City Council supporting continued funding.
Take action now because CPIP is a smart investment in our city. Every $1 the city invests in CPIP leverages $10 from other levels of government, foundations, business and individuals – over $470 million in total. The immense value of CPIP was recognized yesterday by the Toronto Board of Trade; it recommended that City Council ”Restore $4.7-million in proposed cuts to the widely supported Community Partnership and Investment Program and look closely at the widespread benefits these programs have beyond their dollar value in the operating budget.” Read their full submission to council here.
Any cut to CPIP will hurt residents and communities in every ward - let’s take this last chance to raise our concerns. Before City Councillors vote on the budget, we have to be sure that they hear from everyone who is worried about budget cuts to community services and programs, whether online, by phone or in person. If you want to call or email your councillor about the budget, please visit this link for contact info & helpful tips.
Please ensure the message about maintaining CPIP funding is loud and clear to councillors by signing the petition and sharing it with all your contacts. Together, our commitment to community can inspire councillors to support and strengthen the city-wide network of services fostered by CPIP.
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January 11 – Women Speak Out Against the Cuts, Toronto Board of Trade Supports Community Grants, Property Tax Increase, Mapping the Cuts Interview
Posted on 12. Jan, 2012 by Beth.
Women Speak Out Against the Cuts
This morning at City Hall, women service users and women workers spoke out against the budget cuts that will disproportionately impact women with racialized women, newcomer women, women with disabilities and young women especially affected. Women as a group have higher than average rates of poverty; they hold roles as primary care providers, and make up a substantial segment of the public service workforce whose jobs are on the line.
Speakers talked about how the cuts will impact their lives, and the lives of women in their community in areas such as TTC, child care, recreation, health, community grants, and good jobs. The event was organized by Toronto Women’s City Alliance, the Immigrant Women’s Health Centre, Good Jobs for All, Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto, and the United Steelworkers Toronto Women’s Committee. Read the media release here
Toronto Board of Trade Supports Bigger Property Tax Increase, Protection of Services
The Toronto Board of Trade has written a letter to members of Council calling for a 3% property tax increase (over the 2.5% recommended), an extra 5 cent increase to TTC fares for a total of 15 cent, saving community grants that allow nonprofit community agencies to provide vital community services, health initiatives and art programs across the city, safeguarding services to priority neighbourhoods and investing more in the TTC. Read the report here
Mapping the Cuts: CBC Radio Interview
SPT Senior Researcher Beth Wilson (yours truly) was interviewed by CBC Radio’s Here and Now Toronto host Laura Di Battista about the impact of service cuts on low income neighbourhoods, and how to take these damaging cuts off the table. Listen here
SPT Director of Community Engagement Presents to Packed House at Ward 15 Eglinton-Lawrence Budget Forum
Last night, several councillors held their local constituent budget forums. It was standing room only with over one hundred people at Councillor Colle’s forum in Eglinton-Lawrence. SPT Director of Community Engagement Winston Tinglin and Toronto Board of Trade VP Richard Joy presented their perspectives on the City budget. Residents took part in small group discussions and then offered their analysis, asked questions and called for action at the town hall. Overwhelmingly residents called on Councillor Colle to vote against the service cuts that will hurt their community and groups across the city.
See Winston’s powerpoint presentation here
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January 10 – Mapping the Cuts Part II
Posted on 10. Jan, 2012 by Beth.
Download the PDF
Toronto Budget Update – January 9, 2012
Budget Committee Keeps $85.2 Million in Cuts on the Table,
Majority of Location-Specific Cuts in Low Income Neighbourhoods
On January 9, the Budget Committee concluded its review of the 2012 City operating and capital budgets, recommending $85.2 million in service cuts, down from $88 million proposed in the original staff-recommended budget launched on November 28. As well, the committee maintained the staff recommendations for recreation user fee increases and a TTC fare hike.
Among 120 location-specific cuts recommended by the Budget Committee, 56% are located in low income neighbourhoods. We have mapped two types of cuts: 59 library and 61 non-library sites. Forty-six percent of library branches at risk of cuts to operating hours and 66% of non-library services slated for cuts, including recreation, child care, homeless shelters, long-term care homes and farms/zoos, are located in low income neighbourhoods. Forty-five percent of Toronto neighbourhoods have poverty levels above the city average of 24.5%.
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